Sectional modulating attachment for musical instruments.



W. J. KEELEY.

SEGTIONAL MODULATING ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.'6,1907.

.90253 Patented Oct. 27,1908.

& a". ?49 2 z UNITED STATES WILLIAM J. KEELEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AUTO PIANO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SECTIONAL .ll/IODULATING ATTAGHMENT FOR,MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 0017.27, 1908.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. KEELEY, a'

citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Sectional Modulating Attachment for .Musical'lnstruments, of which the following isa specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved means whereby a section of the notes of a musical instrument, such as a piano, can be playedlouder or softer than the other notes. Y

The invention particularly relates to that class of pianos whlch have pneumatic players housed therein and to an arrangement whereby the. up er or treble notes can be modu lated or so tened with respect to the remaining bass notes or the bass notes can be softened or modulated with respect to the treble notes.

To this end, the invention consists in under cutting the hammer rest rail which controls the normal position of rest of the ham mers and in housing in the under-cut hammer rest rail, two sectionalrails which are independently pivoted to the hammer rest rail. Operating connections are provided to each sectional rail and means such as a springis preferably employed in connection with each sectional rail to keep the same normally housedwithin the hammer rest rail. By adjusting the'operating connections, either sec- Wtional rail can be projected out from the hammer rest rail, whereby the normal position of rest of the hammers, which the sectional rail engages, will be adjusted nearer to the strings in proportion as the operating means is operated, whereby the blow or notes struck by these hammers will be softened.

The invention is shown in the accom anying sheet of drawings, referring to whic Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scalethrough the composite rail and showing one hammer. Fig. 3 is a perspective view taken in section through the hammer rest rail, and Fig. 4 illustrates a modification showing how pneumat 5 0 ically operating means may be employed instead of mechanically operating means for I adjusting the position of the sectional rails. Referring to the drawing andin detail, A designates the hammer rest rail which may be made in one or two sections, as desired.

each

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The hammers H normally rest against the hammer rest rail, the hammer res-t rail being provided with a face of felt. 10 against which the hammers rest.

The hammer rest rail is undeneut as at 11.. Fitting in this under-cut hammer rest rail are the sectional rails normally withdrawn or housed within the hammer rest rail. Operating means is provided for adjusting the position of each sectional rail when it is desired to adjust the normal position of the hammers controlled by the same to modulate that seetion-of hammers so that these hammers will strike the strings S with less inertia than the other hammers. This operating means consists of an arm 16 secured to the end of the sectional rail which is connected by a link 17 I to a pivoted bell-crank lever 18 which-is connected by a link'19 to an operating or handlever 20.

the two are rights and lefts, as shown in Fig. 1. By this arrangement, by, pushing the left-hand lever to the left, as shdifii in'Figl, the bass notes of the or by right, t e tre e notes of the piano will be softened. The degree of the tempering of the notes can be regulated by the amount of movement given to the levers.

Instead of usin mechanically operating means, I may emp oy a pneumatically operating means, such as illustrated in Fig. 4. In this arrangement, the link 19 of one of the operatin means is connected to a ivoted bell-cran' lever'21 which is connecte to the movable section of a pneumatic 22 which is normally held in distended position by a s ring 23. The pneumatic is controlled by a e valve 24 which normally lets atmospheric pressure into the pneumatic. This double valve 24 is controlled by a diaphragm 25 arranged in a wind-chest 26 from WlllOll the air is exhausted through a pipe 27 The under side of the diaphragm 25 is conpiano will be softened, u'shing1 thefright-hand lever to the The operating connections for sectional rail are the same except that nected by a pipe28 to a small valve chest 29 which has holes 30 extendin to the atmos phere which are covered y a valve 31 mounted on the end of an operating rod 32,

' pact and the sectional rails being housed what I claim and desire to secure by Lettersthe valve 31 being kept normally in position to cover the holes by means of a spring 33.

The diaphragm 25 is.provided with the usual small leak hole so that the double valve 2 1 will stand normally in the position shown in Fig. 4. By pushing down on the button on the valve rod 32, atmospheric pressure ls admitted under the diaphragm 25 which will raise the double valve 24 to cut oil connection of the. pneumatic to the atmospheric and to exhaust the air from the.;pneumatic, thereby operating the link 19 to adjust the position of the sectional rail.

The particular )oint of in improvement is the housing of the seotiona rails within an under-cut hammer rest rail. By this arrangcment, a simple and compact combination is obtained. The hammers' normally rest against their own hammer rest rail which can be made rigid and correct. I have found also that by undencutting the hammer rest rail and arranging the sectional rails therein, the parts are practically free from warping. Moreover, the parts being'coniwithin the hammer'rest rail, the parts are not apt to be deranged when the mechanism is adjusted or the piano is tuned.

1 am aware that the details herein shown and described may be greatly varied by a f skilled mechanic without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

Having thus fully. described my invention,

Patent is 1; The combination of a hammer rest rail and hammers, a sectional rail housed in the hammer rest rail, a spring normally keeping the sectional rail within the hammer rest rail, and operating means for projecting the secconnected with each pneumatic, each suction chamber having a double valve adapted to control the connection of the pneumatic with said suction chamber and with the outer air, a pneumatic for controlling the valve, and a push button for controlling the operation of the last named pneumatic.

3. In a piano, the combination with the hammers, of a stationary hammer rest-rai1 having an undercut lower portion, a sectional rail.in two sections located in said undercut portion, each section having an arm projecting to the front of the stationary rail and movable with the section, a bin e member connected with said arm and wit each section and pivoted at the bottom thereof to the stationary-hammer rest-rail, and means for operating each of said projecting arms independently to force the sections of the sectional rail outwardly from the face of the stationary hammer rest-rail.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. J. KEELEY. [L. s.] Witnesses:

CHAS. F. HovEY, W. L. KNEBEL. 

